Flashing sign



March 6, 1934.

W. G. WAGENHALS FLASHING SIGN Filed Nov. 16, 1931 5 m a. w a 4 M J 7/ j 5 Y 5 W .W a 3 2 h J M d fl v INVENTOR Patented Mar. 6 1934 PATENT orrics to Animated Advertisin Mich., a corporation of g Displays Inc., Detroit,

Michigan Application November 16, 1931, Serial No. 575,286

1 Claim.

My invention relates to illuminated display signs and has particular reference to a flashing or intermittently illuminated sign.

An object of the present invention is to provide an illuminated sign having a plurality of sources of light which are arranged to be alternately illuminated to attract the passers-by attention to the merchandise on display advertising matter in reference thereto.

More specifically the invention provides an illuminated casing provided with a sign panel at one face and a reflector upon its opposite face together with electrically operated illuminating means arranged to alternately illuminate the sign panel and reflector which in turn illuminates an article of display.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved sign casing which is constructed solely from sheet metal and is provided with a front border frame which in addition to enhancing the appearance of the casing coacts with other parts in forming guides for the retention of. a removable sign panel.

With the preceding and other objects and advantages in mind the invention consists in the novel combination of elements, constructions and arrangement of parts, and operations to be hereinafter embodied in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sign constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and I Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit embodied in the invention.

Referring to the invention in detail a sheet metal casing is provided having an angularly disposed rear wall 5, a top wall 6, bottom wall 7 and end walls 8. The top and bottom walls terminate in right angularly and oppositely extending flanges 9 which are welded or otherwise secured to a sheet metal rectangular border frame 10 which extends entirely around the front or open end of the housing. The border frame is formed with inwardly directed inclined flanges 11 having straight flanges 12.

Cooperating with the flanges 11 in forming guides at the front of the casing for removably holding a sign or panel in the open end of the casing angle irons 13 are secured to the top, bottom and end walls. Each of these angle irons is arranged with one of its flanges opposed to and parallel with the straight flanges 12 and are disposed adjacent the outer edges of the top, bottom and side walls. the side walls is stopped short of the border frame to provide an entrance slot 14 to permit the insertion and removal of a translucent sign panel 15. As the sign is inserted into the slot 14 it is guided and held between the casing and border frame by the cooperating angle brackets and straight flanges of the inclined flanges,

In addition to the border frame adding to the ornamental appearance of the sign its flanged portion 11 and 12 coacts with the angle irons in holding the sign panel in place. Moreover the lower portion of the border frame serves as a support or leg for cooperation with the L-shaped leg 16 attached to the rear longitudinal edge of the bottom wall 7 in supporting that casing in spaced relation to the base upon which the sign is adapted to rest.

In order to ventilate the interior of the housing ventilating slots or openings 17 are provided in the rear wall 5 at the bottom thereof and adjacent its upper edge. In order to preclude the passage of light rays through the upper slot 17 a shield or plate 18 is attached to the upper wall 6 adjacent this opening 17 and projects below the same where it terminates in an obliquely extending flange 19.

In practice the casing 8 is adapted to be arranged in a show case or window in advance of merchandise to which the advertising matter or indicia on the panel 15 relates. Cooperating with the panel 15 in advertising the merchandise is an illuminator consisting of a light reflecting casing attached to the rear wall 5 and having divergent sheet metal side walls 20 and divergent end walls 21. These walls 20 and 21 are formed with right angularly extending flanges 22 which are secured to the rear wall 5 by suitable fastenings 23. A double lamp socket 24 is supported from the rear face of the wall 5 by means of a laterally extending bracket 25 attached to the wall 5 and carried by this socket 24 is a pair of illuminating bulbs 26. A second set of illuminating bulbs 27 is arranged in the sign housing for illuminating the sign panel 15.

For the purpose of alternately illuminating the bulbs 26 and 2? there is provided a thermally operated switch or flasher which is arranged in the sign housing. The flasher comprises a sup porting frame 28 having a terminal 33 arranged adjacent one end and a contact post 34 adjacent its other end. Secured to the terminal 33 is a bi-metal thermostatic strip 35 whose free end As shown in Fig. 3, one of extends outwardly from the terminal to a point adjacent the contact 34, so that by flexing the strip in a manner to be described the end thereof may be moved into engagement with the contact 34.

31 and 32 respectively designate positive and negative conductors which are adapted to be connected to a supply source for electric current. The conductor 31 is connected by a wire 37 to the contact post 34. The bulbs 27 are mounted in parallel in a wire 29 which is connected at one end to the contact post 34 and at its other end to the terminal 33. A wire 36 is connected at one end to the contact post 34 and is provided with a coiled portion surrounding the metal strip 35, and has its other end connected to the strip. A wire 30 is connected at one end to the terminal 33 and at its other end to the negative conductor 32, and the bulbs 26 are mounted in series in the wire 30.

In operation the current flows from the supply conductor 31 to the contact post 34. At the contact post 3 the current branches and iiows through the wire 29 and bulbs 27 to the terminal 33, and. through the wire 36 and coil therein to the terminal 33. The current flows from the terminal 33 through the wire 30 and bulbs 26 to the negative conductor 32. The bulbs 27 and coiled wire 36 constitute a resistance in the path of the current from the supply 31 to the lamps 26, and because of the fact that the bulbs 27 are in parallel and the bulbs 26 in series the latter offer a greater resistance to the flow than do the former, and therefore a greater voltage is required to fully illuminate the bulbs 26 than the bulbs 27. A reduction in the voltage of the current is caused by the resistance of the bulbs 27 and coiled wire 36, and this reduction, combined with added resistance of the bulbs 26 in series, results in full illumination of the bulbs 27 while the bulbs 26 are very faintly illuminated, due to the fact that the reduced voltage is not sufficient to fully illuminate the bulbs 26. The illumination of the bulbs 26 at this stage of the operation amounts to a dull red glow of insufficient density to throw light.

When the flow of current through the coiled wire 36 generates sufiicient heat the metal strip 35 is caused to flex so that its outer end engages the contact 34. The current is then short circuited from the contact 34 through the strip 35 to the terminal 33 so that the full voltage from the supply conductor 31 is realized at the bulbs 26 which become illuminated to their full extent.

In this manner the bulbs 26 and 27 are alternately and intermittently illuminated so that the sign panel and merchandise will be alternately and intermittently illuminated to produce a display which will command the attention of the public.

What I claimis:

In a unitary and combined sign and article illuminating device adapted to be disposed between the article to be illuminated and the observer, the combination of a translucent sign, two independent sources of light behind the sign and shielded from each other, one of said sources being shielded from the sign and the other exposed to the sign, the first named source being adapted for illuminating an article displayed outside of the effective light path of the other source, and means for alternately flashing said light sources to illuminate said sign and article alternately. 7

WILLIAM G. WAGENHALS. 

